Author name: oisinkelly

The mother of a 27-year-old man who killed himself after being discharged from the psychiatric unit at Letterkenny General Hospital has lost her negligence case against the HSE in the High Court. Ellen Ann Orpen argued that the HSE had failed to provide adequate care to her son Michael when he presented himself at the […]

The Department of Agricultures delay in processing agri-funding applications is crippling farmers, according to Donegal North-East Deputy Joe McHugh. And Deputy McHugh has now called on the Minister for Agriculture, Brendan Smith, to divert staff in the Department to process all outstanding payments. He says farmers can’t afford to wait to January for these payments.

Donegal County Council is to adopt new by-laws to allow it deal with abandoned horses, but more discussions will take place before a final draft is agreed. Outgoing county vet Frank Mc Rory told members last evening that the economic situation has led to a serious increase in the number of horses being abandoned in

A judge has described the conditions at a court as “laughable” after prisoners were held all day in a prison van because there was no room for them in the courthouse. Judge John O’Hagan said the physical conditions at Letterkenny Circuit Court in Donegal were simply not good enough. The judge said the legal profession,

A man who tried to rob a bank in south Donegal was caught after a bank assistant recognised him by the teardrop tattoos on his face. 19 year-old Joseph Myers walked into the Bank of Ireland branch on Main Street in Ballyshannon in Co Donegal and demanded a cashier put money into a plastic bag

A 27-year-old Donegal man has been found not guilty of three counts of dangerous driving causing death. The jury returned three unanimous verdicts shortly after 5pm today at Donegal Circuit Court. Niall McGrath, Grahamstown, had pleaded not guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of Nora McGee (74) Magheraroarty and a couple from Omagh, Damien

Donegal County Council has formally agreed a deal with the IDA, which will see land and units in Ballyshannon, Buncrana, Carndonagh, Donegal Town and Milford handed over to the council. As part of the deal,the IDA is providing €800,000 for repairs and €500,000 for road improvements. County Manager Seamus Neely says there are already three

A Donegal County Council debate on the introduction of an anti-social behaviour strategy has been dominated by a discussion on one clause which states that the council will seek information from gardai about prospective tenants. Cllr Frank Mc Brearty strongly opposed this provision, saying the garda Pulse system records arrests, but not court findings, and

A Derry Councillor is calling for a complete ban on the sale of fireworks in Northern Ireland over the counter. Shantallow representative Tony Hassan says there’s been a high number of complaints about the misuse of fireworks and associated products in the city. Incidents include fireworks being pushed into letter boxes and thrown into gardens

Local authorities in Donegal may be forced to cut services next year because of cuts in funding from Dublin. Labour Councillor Jimmy Harte says the local government fund could be cut by as much as 10% next year, and realistically, councils cannot expect commercial ratepayers to make up the shortfall. He says this means services

After another paramilitary style shooting in Derry over ther weekend, Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has called on Republican Action Against Drugs to engage in talks with the SDLP and community leaders to find a solution to violent attacks in Derry. On Saturday night, a pizza delivery man was lured to an address in Creggan Heights,

An Inishowen Councillor says a land deal being signed today between the IDA and Donegal County Council will have to be very carefully monitored. The IDA is now concentrating all its efforts on securing investment for Letterkenny, so it is signing lands in Buncrana, Ballyshannon, Carndonagh, Donegal Town and Milford over to Donegal County Council

Speculation is mounting that Letterkenny Institute of Technology is on the verge of acquiring a 10 acre site for car parking and other developments. Last week, when asked about the car parking issue, LYIT president Paul Hannigan told Highland Radio that an announcement is imminent, and he expects confirmation of a breakthrough in a matter

A campaign is growing in Derry to have the new bridge linking Ebrington and the Cityside named after John Hume. Assembley work on what has become known as the “Peace Bridge” has been underway for over a week, with local SDLP politicians saying the awarding of the title “Ireland’s Greatest” to their former party leader

SDLP Foyle MLA Pat Ramsey has condemned the paramilitary-style shooting of a man in the Creggan Heights area of the city last night. It is understood the man was attacked as he delivered pizzas at around 11 o’clock. Pat Ramsey says the people of Creggan are sick, sored and tired of people carrying out these

The Donegal Town by-pass has reopened,  following a two-car collision happened just after 4pm yesterday in which one man lost his life. The man, who was in his sixties hasn’t yet been named by gardai, but he was from Limerick and had just arrived in Donegal for a wedding this weekend. Three other people sustained

Three men have been arrested after a man was attacked in Omagh in the early hours of this morning. The victim was assaulted in Deverney Park some time between 4 and 6 o’clock He was taken to hospital with injuries which are not thought to be life-threatening. The men who were arrested are aged in

Former Foyle MP and SDLP Leader John Hume has been voted ‘Ireland’s Greatest’ in an RTÉ phone and text poll. The Nobel laureate was the public’s choice ahead of Michael Collins, Mary Robinson, James Connolly and Bono. The results of the poll were revealed on The Late Late Show last night. The current leader of

The High Court will rule next week in the case of a claim that a former naval officer from Donegal took his own life after he was inappropriately discharged from Letterkenny General Hospital fiollowing a previous suicide attempt. 27 year old Michael Orpen drove his car off Bruckless Pier in November 2007, days after he

Business leaders in the northwest have been told that the outlook for the northwest is mixed. IBEC North West’s Regional Director, Padraig O’Grady, told the gathering of over 100 business leaders that while Foreign Direct Investment companies are performing well here, the retail and construction sectors are struggling. IBEC says the governments budget must focus

A Donegal Deputy says it is simply unbelievable and unacceptable that all of Donegal is being left without a Rheumatology Treatment Unit. Deputy Dinny McGinley says the decision to withdraw the Rheumatology Clinic from Letterkenny Hospital is another example of the sustained attack on frontline health services in the County. According to Deputy McGinley the

There are fears that jobs will be lost in Donegal following a decision by coastal states to agree a 92% cut in blue whiting catches for next year. The Killybegs Fisherman’s Association has hit out at the agreement claiming it is based on extremely dubious science. While Irish vessels do not have a big share

A man in his 60s has been killed in a road crash on the Donegal town by-pass. The two-car collision happened at 4pm this afternoon. There were two occupants in each car. One man was pronounced dead at the scene. The three other people were taken to Letterkenny General Hospital, but their injuries are not

Gardai investigating a suspected suspicious approach of a young girl in the Ballindrait area last Friday are seeking the public’s help. At around 4 o’clock on Friday the 15th of October a young girl was approached by the occupent of a Marron Coloured Jeep. The girl was unharmed in the incident – gardai want to

Emergency services are at the scene of a serious road traffic collision on the Donegal Town by-pass. There are no further details at present but the road is expected to remain closed overnight – traffic is being diverted via Donegal Town. Meanwhile at least one person was removed to Letterkenny General Hospital following a collision

An essay competition is being launched today in memory of Henry Cunningham, the 16 year old Inishowen man who was shot dead when a van he and his brothers were travelling in was attacked by UVF gunmen in County Antrim 37 years ago. A €500 prize has been offered to Transition year students in Inishowen

The Tanaiste today defended the delay in calling the Donegal South West by-election, saying that there is a network of politicians from all parties providing representation in the constituency. She said although he’s based in the European parliament, Pat The Cope Gallagher continues to provide a service to people locally, and there is no shortage

The High Court has lifted an injunction restraining a builder from cutting off sewage services to Áras Uí Dómhnaill nursing home, which is currently in receivership. The interim order was granted last week by Ms Justice Mary Laffoy against John O’Donnell, Ballyherrin, Kilmacrennan, Letterkenny,and Kilmac Formwork Ltd of the same address, to receiver Declan Taite.

Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has expressed concern at the rejection of her report into the Lost at Sea scheme by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. In her report on the scheme, she recommended that financial compensation of almost €250,000 be paid to the Byrne family from Donegal who she found had been

The farm advisory body Teagasc is urging farmers to undergo basis training in safety and risk assessment. The call comes as figures are published showing 23 deaths on farms so far this year, the highest number in almost a decade, and over twice last year’s figure. The two most recent deaths took place just this

Gardai in Donegal are warning drivers that extra checkpoints will in place over the October holiday weekend in a bid to clamp down on speeding and drink or drug driving. Inspector Michael Harrison, head of the Traffic Corps in Donegal, says the target in the county this weekend is young male drivers. He says any

As the implications of the British Chancellor’s spending review are assessed, health officials in Stormont have indicated that despite cuts in the capital spending budget, the new radiotherapy centre at Altnagelvin will still go ahead. Foyle MLA Mary Bradley, who sits on Stormont’s Health Committee, has welcomed the assurances, and says the business plan shoud

Forty-seven apartments are set to be sold in Ballbofey by auction next month after the company who developed them went into recievership. The apartments, which are unfinished, are situated at Navenney Place, Trusk Road in Ballybofey. All the apartments are to be sold in a single lot, with a reserve price of 550,000 euro. Dermott

Donegal North East Deputy Niall Blaney has launched an online petition to highlight the need for improved road infrastructure in Donegal to complement the N2/A5 Dual Carriageway, which is due to be completed in 2015. Deputy Blaney says the Bonagee Link, incorporating a second bridge over the River Swilly is vital to the future growth

The Chairperson of the Donegal County Development Board says the outcome of a conference on unemployment held in the county yesterday will be that agencies in the county will be better briefed on the needs of people who are out of work at present. The event, held as part of Social Inclusion Week in the

The 10th Annual Information Technology and Telecommunications Conference gets under way at Letterkenny Institute of Technology today. The event, which the college says is now more relevant than ever, will hear from a number of guests over the next few days, including Tanaiste Mary Coughlan. The conference opens this afternoon with a number of papers

A clear picture of Ireland’s ghost estates will be unveiled this morning, with the publication of a new report. It’s thought the Department of the Environment could reveal up to 100 thousand houses lying idle in the aftermath of the property market collapse. Many of the estates are scattered across the midlands and northwest of

One of Donegal’s biggest insurance companies announced today it is restructuring its operations, with the equivalent 3.5 jobs being shed out of a total of 36. Top Quote Direct in Letterkenny says since 2005, the General Insurance Industry in Ireland has experienced an 18% drop in premiums and like most businesses has also been affected

The prospects for job creation in Donegal are being discussed at a conference in the Silver Tassie Hotel this afternoon. The “Making the Future Happen” seminar is being coordinated by the County Development Board. Unemployed people have been outlining their experiences, with the CDB hoping this will be the first in a number of such

There’s been another stand off between customs personnel and a motorist over VRT, this time at Lisfannon outside Buncrana. A man with an address in the republic but working for a company in Northern Ireland claims he was driving a company car to appointments in Inishowen when he was stopped and ordered to hand the

The High Court will rule next month whether the Government has excessively delayed calling a by-election in Donegal South West. The action was brought by Sinn Fein Senator Pearse Doherty. Following the conclusion of legal submissions, Mr Justice Kearns said he would give judgment on November 5. Senator Pearse Doherty says he’s done everything in

The trial has begun of a 27-year-old man charged with dangerous driving causing three deaths in a crash on the N15. Niall McGrath, of Grahamstown, Ballintra has pleaded not guilty at Donegal Circuit Court to three charges of dangerous driving causing death in a collision on the N15 at Ballinacarrick, Ballintra just over five years

A teenager is being treated for a suspected broken jaw after he was kicked in the face while tying his boot laces during a GAA football match. The 15-year-old St Eunans player was attacked with just minutes to go in the underage game in Burt against Urris here in the County on Sunday. Shocked spectators

The Government has banned the use of all poisons for pest control under new rules aimed at stopping the killing of birds of prey. There will be no poisons which can legally be used to kill birds or animals, apart from rats and mice. And the new regulations also make it an offence for a

Gardai in Milford are appealing for information about a fatal collision at Bunlin Bridge last evening. 81 year old Leonard Devanney, also known as Leonard Orr, was pronounced dead in hospital after the collision which happened at 5 o’clock. Mr Orr, was a single man from Ballyare near Ramelton, and was the driver of a

The government’s legal team will be in the High Court today to defend the ongoing delay in holding the Donegal South West by-election. Sinn Fein Senator Pearse Doherty is arguing that the people of Donegal South West are being denied their constitutional rights to representation. His legal team told the High Court whe the case

The Donegal Road Safety Working Group will present its Road Safe Road Show at Aura in Letterkenny over the next two days. At the event people directly affected by road tragedies tell their stories to second level students – who will soon be beginning their own driving careers. The first of the road shows was

District Court Judge Seamus Hughes has been accused of insulting the people of Donegal over comments he made about our attitudes towards gardai in the county. Last week Judge Hughes launched a scathing attack on the people of Co Donegal claiming they think Gardai are ‘fair game’ while out on duty. Cllr Frank McBrearty says